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Sometimes new words are born that are just plain puzzling.
And this is one of them.
The Collins Dictionary has it listed in its ‘new word suggestion’ section with the definition, ‘a member of a particular far-right American political movement.’
Writing in The Weekend Australian Greg Sheridan said that ‘Groyper is one of the ugliest terms in modern politics.’
He goes on to say that far-right, Jew-hating American extremist Nick Fuentes claims that he ‘and his followers named their Jew-hating group of campaigners Groypers, which they illustrate with the symbol of a slug-like frog.’
Still, it remains a puzzling word, doesn’t it?
The background seems to be that there is an internet meme called ‘Pepe the frog’, originated in 2005 by cartoonist Matt Furie as a green, anthropomorphic frog with a speech balloon saying ‘feels good man’ coming out of its mouth.
All of this ‘meme’ nonsense is beyond me (and possibly you as well) but it seems that simple-minded folk who have substituted being glued to screens in place of thinking like these little symbolic images they can repeat.
And further the ‘Pepe the frog’ image has been co-opted by the far-right racists in America as their chosen ‘meme’ or image.
A variation of Pepe known as ‘Groyper’ was used as early as 2015 and became popular in 2017.
So how come this word (or non-word?) was chosen to name this version of a cartoon frog as a far-right symbol?
No one seems to know.
Is it meant to be a play on the croaking sound that frogs make?
I’m guessing here.
Since ‘groypers’ are viciously anti-Jewish is it meant to be a play on a Yiddish word?
Perhaps a twist on the Yiddish word ‘goyim’ meaning ‘gentiles’ (non-Jews).
There is a slightly (very slightly!) similar word in Leo Rosten’s The Joys of Yiddish meaning ‘coarse, crude, uncouth, vulgar’—and perhaps these horrible ‘groypers’ delight in seeing themselves this way?
All I know for sure is that this is a horrible word for nasty people.
This afternoon I will have a guest spot on Michael McLaren's afternoon show on 2GB (12noon to 3pm).
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If you'd like to see my A-Z list of Aussie slang, you'll find it here in the Australian Geographic website -- A-Z list of Aussie slang. Here’s the link: The A-Z of Aussie slang - Australian Geographic
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